US Air Force helicopters visit HMAS Darwin

HMAS Darwin has hosted two United States Air Force (USAF) helicopters during maritime security operations in the Middle East under Operation SLIPPER.

The Pave Hawk is based on the Black Hawk platform and is similar to HMAS Darwin’s Seahawk.

The Black Hawk platform’s commonality means spare parts may be sourced from coalition partners in theatre which can save valuable time and resources.

While onboard, the USAF crews took advantage of the opportunity to work with HMAS Darwin’s deck team honing their small deck landing skills.

The 303rd ERQS operate out of Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti and is equipped with the HH-60G Pave Hawk for Combat Search and Rescue, as well as MEDEVAC tasking.

Their specialist equipment includes an air-to-air refuelling boom, forward-looking infra-red camera, weather radar, long range fuel tanks and the Precision Avionics Vectoring Equipment (PAVE) which gives the variant its name.